Is Your Guard Up?
Have you ever said something to someone just to let off a little steam? You think, “Oh, it’s okay. They deserve it.” Sometimes we think the angry words are small things, but they can become big things that destroy your relationship. Look out for the small things. The Bible calls them “the little foxes that spoil the vines” (Song of Songs 2:15). You keep showing up late for work and think, “Well, my boss never comes until 8:30,” and the next thing, you’re looking for a new job. One woman told me, “My husband and I were so happy early in our marriage. But we’ve drifted apart and argue and fight. We’re separated.” These are the results of not being on guard every single day.
In the Bible, an angel declared the coming birth of Samson who was to become a man of great destiny (Judges 13). God gifted him with supernatural strength to deliver his people from the hands of the Philistines, but Samson didn’t take responsibility for what he had been given. He let his guard down, set his eyes on the wrong thing, began to rebel against what he knew was right, and was weakened in his morals. He began to hang around the wrong people and got into the wrong living situation. Just as the Bible states, “Bad company corrupts good character” (1 Corinthians 15:33), so it was with Samson. He did not guard what he was doing or saying, and he ended up in the hands of his enemies, blind and chained.
Just think of what Samson could have become if he would have checked his heart and said, “God, help me to say no to these temptations and distractions that are taking me from what You want me to be and do.” If he would have just realigned his focus, asked for forgiveness, and repented of his sins. He had the power to say, “Okay, I’m done with that lifestyle, and I’m breaking away from the friends I’ve been hanging on to. God, help me be strong.”
The apostle Paul says, “Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:2). That means to set your mind on the important things in life—the things that bring you closer to your destiny, that cause you to have a strong marriage, good relationships, and a great job. Set your mind to walk in integrity and lay aside every weight and sin that causes you to drift. Set your mind to honor God in all you do—big and small!
In the Bible, an angel declared the coming birth of Samson who was to become a man of great destiny (Judges 13). God gifted him with supernatural strength to deliver his people from the hands of the Philistines, but Samson didn’t take responsibility for what he had been given. He let his guard down, set his eyes on the wrong thing, began to rebel against what he knew was right, and was weakened in his morals. He began to hang around the wrong people and got into the wrong living situation. Just as the Bible states, “Bad company corrupts good character” (1 Corinthians 15:33), so it was with Samson. He did not guard what he was doing or saying, and he ended up in the hands of his enemies, blind and chained.
Just think of what Samson could have become if he would have checked his heart and said, “God, help me to say no to these temptations and distractions that are taking me from what You want me to be and do.” If he would have just realigned his focus, asked for forgiveness, and repented of his sins. He had the power to say, “Okay, I’m done with that lifestyle, and I’m breaking away from the friends I’ve been hanging on to. God, help me be strong.”
The apostle Paul says, “Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:2). That means to set your mind on the important things in life—the things that bring you closer to your destiny, that cause you to have a strong marriage, good relationships, and a great job. Set your mind to walk in integrity and lay aside every weight and sin that causes you to drift. Set your mind to honor God in all you do—big and small!